CHAMPAIGN — Rayvonte Rice soared to the rim to snatch down rebounds, used his strength to push past guards on his way to the basket and talk trashed on the court. This was the Rice Illinois basketball fans grew accustomed to during the non-conference portion of the schedule. The man who at one point led the conference in scoring. It would have been unimaginable that he could be held scoreless for an entire game until it happened last week against Ohio State. He was chided of not playing aggressively in that game, and his aggression was on full display Tuesday night against Wisconsin. Rice finished with 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds, both game highs. Yet once again it was not enough. The Badgers defeated the Illini 75-63 handing them their eighth loss in a row. That matches the longest losing streak for the program since 1974 when they lost 11 in a row. "My gut tells me I'm going to watch it (on film) and they beat us," coach John Groce said. This Illinois team is not talented enough to win games where they do not play almost perfectly. Groce has been saying all year, that the entire team must be clicking on all cylinders. So even a strong game from Rice is not enough to win games against the Big Ten, arguably the toughest conference in the country. "We're trying everything," Groce said. "And I do mean everything." State Farm Center was filled sparingly at best, thanks to the inclement weather. Fans were even encouraged to move closer and fill empty seats. The workers at the turnstile counted 4,185 fans actually in attendance compared to more than 16,000 tickets sold. And some of those fans did not stick around to see the end of the game. As the final seconds ticked away during the game, the building was near eerily silent. Most of the Badgers struggles have been on offense while the Illini have been consistent on defense for much of the year. But those scoring troubles faded on Tuesday as Wisconsin knocked down shot after shot. Illini center Nnanna Egwu altered the Badgers shots around the rim and prevented them from driving aggressively, and finished with three blocks. So the Badgers started hitting shots from beyond the arc. They finished 10-for-23 on three-point field goals and shot 48 percent. Four Badgers scored at least 14 points, led by Ben Brust and Sam Dekker who each finished with 16. "We threw everything at them tonight," Groce said. "We trapped them, changed coverage and played zone." The Badgers hit at least eight three pointers in a game for the first time since Jan. 8. Their opponent that night was Illinois. On that night the Badgers delivered a 95-70 clobbering that sent Illinois spiraling into this streak of futility. But these two teams are in very different places since that last meeting. The Illini were ranked No. 23 at that time and seemed certainly headed to the NCAA tournament. At one point the Badgers were fourth in the country and a popular pick to make the Final Four. Coming into the game, Wisconsin had lost five of its last seven games and are unranked for the first time this season. But Illinois has been the cure for whatever ails their opponent may have. The Illini will play Penn State in State College on Sunday.